Non-refillable bottle.



PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. W. G. LAWRENCE. NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23,1903.

N0 MODEL.

I/IIIA/Illllll: i n

UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT @EEICE.

NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,549, dated September 6, 1904. Application filed November 28, 1903; Serial No. 182,322. (No model.)

To (LU- 10700111 may concern:

Be it known that LIVILLIAM G. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland. in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non-Refillable Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to non-refillable bottles, the object of my invention being to provide a cheap and simple device applied to the neck of a bottle which shall absolutely prevent refilling of the bottle after the contents have been discharged therefrom, except by l breaking or disfiguring the neck of the bottle l or device.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the upper portion of a bottle equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the same portion of the bottle held horizontally. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same held pointing downward. Fig. a is a broken side elevation of the device for preventing refilling, detached. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the valve, detached. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the main fioat. Fig. I is a perspective View of the locking-float. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the anchors.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the neck of a bottle equipped with my improvement. Said neck is formed with an annular internal groove 2, the function of which is to anchor in the neck of a bottle the device for preventing refilling. 3 is the external wall or casing of said device, fitting snugly within the neck above the annular groove, but having a contracted neck t at its lower portion. Across said neck on a level with said groove 2 is secured a tubular guide 5, in which fit closely the stems of anchors 6. Between the inner ends of said stems is interposed a cylindrical piece of cork T, acting as a spring to press said anchors outward. Said anchors are formed with heads 8, which are shaped in an arc of a circle to conform to the circular shape of the internal groove 2. The conformation of these heads is a novel and important feature of my invention. \V hen the device for preventing refilling is pushed into the neck of the bottle, so that the anchors come I opposite to the internal groove, the anchor- 1 heads spring outward under pressure from the resilient piece of cork and lock' said device and prevent it from being withdrawn; but it has been found that if the locking contact between the anchor-head and the groove is in the line of the stem it is practically impossible, except with a very deep groove, to

groove which engages the anchor-head pressmg in said anchor. I obviate this dlfliculty groove, and the locking contact is made by these wings, there being no contact with the groove in line with the stem, but only to one side of the stem. 1 have found that by this construction the tendency of the surface of the groove to press the anchor inward is removed.

A cylinder 10 of cork is interposed between the neck of the device and the inner surface of the neck of the bottle to prevent the liquid flowing out except through the device, said I cork being cut out where necessary to receive the anchors.

\Vithin the casing of the device is secured the valve-casing 11. This comprises an upper cylindrical portion 12 and a lower skeleton portion formed of ribs 13. The ends of said ribs are attached to the annular shoulder 1a of the casing 3. \Vithin said valve-casing is a valve 15, having a skeleton guide formed by ribs 16 and a ring 17. This valve-guide slides snugly within the skeleton portion of the valve-casing, the valve being adapted to rest on or within the valve-seat 18, which has a beveled edge. \Vithin said skeleton valve is a cork cylindrical float 19. Above said float is a heavy ball 20, and between said ball and the closed end 21 of the valve-casing is a light spring 22. The valve-casing 11 has upper and lower outwardly-extending annular ribs or flanges 23, and the casing 3 of the whole device has an inwardly-extcnding rib 24: or liangc, which is intermediate between the flanges 23. All of these flanges are bent slightly upward or toward the mouth of the prevent the sloping upper surface of the,

by extending the head laterally on each side, forming, as it were, wings 9, which enter the bottle, so that if it is attempted to tamper with the device by the insertion of a wire the wire striking the edge of either rib 23 will be deflected inward and striking the edge of the rib 24 will be deflected outward, and in either case will be turned back upon itself renderin g it practically impossible to aflect the operation of the device by the insertion of a wire.

One of the greatest obstacles to be overcome in making a non-refillable bottle is to provide a means for preventing the refilling of the bottle by holding it in a horizontol position in a large vessel containing the liquid therein and giving it a sudden horizontal jerk. I prevent this by the following construction: The valve-disk 15 has secured thereto at the center a wire stem 27, extending downward below the valve-seat and carrying at its end a keeper 28, which is preferably in the form of a flat disk open or cut away to allow the liquid to pass freely. Between the valve-seat and said keeper is a locking-float 29, forked so as to straddle the wire stem. If now it is attempted torefill the bottle by jerking it backward and forward, submerged either in a horizontal or upright position, the lockingfloat 29 will come into action. So long as the liquid is away from the valve-seat the locking-float 29 will drop against the inner face of the valve-seat and prevent the keeper and valve moving outward; but as soon as the bottle is tilted to pour out liquid, so that the level of the liquid rises against the valve, the float will rise with it, so that the botton of the float will now pass over the lowest portion of the valve-seat and will no longer lock, and then immediately the pressure of the liquid will force the valve away from the valve-seat and also the transverse float through the valveopening, since said float has now been raised high enough to pass therethrough. Adifliculty in this connection is that as the liquid rises in the bottle against the valve there would naturally be a tendency of the transverse float to turn around the stem, so that the thick part of the float would go to the top and the slit point downward, when the thick part of the .float would be carried by the liquid above the edge of the valve-seat, so that said float, although it would now no longer lock against the lower portion of the valve-seat, would now look against the upper portion. To overcome this difliculty, the thick portion of the float is weighted, as by means of a small pin 30, driven into the end thereof. It is weighted just sufficient to keep the thick portion of the float always down. The function of the heavy ball is to compress the spring as soon as the bottle is tilted to let the liquid run out. So long as the bottle is horizontal or pointing slightly upward the spring holds the valve against its seat, but as soon as it is tilted downward in 'the slightest degree the ball overcomes the pressure of the spring. If it is attempted to refill the bottle by inverting it under liquid,

the cork float 19 will immediately lift the valve up to its seat. If it is attempted to refill the bottle under liquid in an upright position, the valve will seat itself. If the bottle is in a horizontal position under the liquid, the spring 22 will positively close the valve.

It is to be understood that while I have herein spoken of the floats as being made of cork they are not necessarily so made, as they may be made from other light material, or they may be made hollow and metallic, if preferred.

From the above description and explanation it will be obvious that the valve is absolutely locked to its seat when the bottle is empty, since the locking-float must then always be in its locking position.

I claim 1. A bottle having a neck with an annular internal groove, a device in said neck for preventing refilling having an anchor opposite to said groove, and resilient means for projecting said anchor, said anchor being formed with a head having wings in looking contact with the groove, the head in line with the stem being free from contact with said groove, substantially as described.

2. A bottle having a neck with anannular internal groove, a device in said neck for preventing refilling having a transverse tubular guide, anchors in said guide entering said groove, and resilient means for projecting said anchors, said anchors being free from contact with the groove in line with their stems, but having lateral wings contacting with said groove, substantially as described.

3. A bottle having a device for preventing refilling, said device comprising a casing having an annular shoulder and a contracted neck, means carried by said neck for securing said device in the neck of the bottle, a valve-casing within the device having a skeleton portion formed of ribs attached to the annular shoulder of the casing, a valve in said valve-casing having a'skeleton guide sliding snugly within the skeleton portion of the valve-casing, a cylindrical float within said skeleton guide, a heavy ball above said float,and a light spring between the ball and the closed end of the valve-casing, substantially as described.

4. A bottle having a device for preventing refilling, and means for securing said device in the neck of the bottle, said device comprising a casing and a valve-casing within the outer casing, and between which the liquid flows out, said casings having annular flanges extending from the casing to which they are secured to the other casing and directed slightly upward or toward the mouth of the bottle, substantially as described.

5. A bottle having a device for preventing refilling, comprising a valve-casing having a valve-seat, a valve adapted to slide snugly in said casing, and resting on said seat, a stem extending downward from said valve, a keeper on the end of said stem, and a locking-float movable transversely on said stem between said valve-seat and keeper, substantially as described.

6. A bottle having a device for preventing refilling comprising a valve-seat, a valve movable to and from said seat, and a float below or on the inner side of said valve, and means whereby the transverse movement of said float as the bottle is tilted locks said valve to its seat, substantially as described.

7. A bottle having a device for preventing refilling, said device comprising a valve-seat, a valve therefor, and a float movable transversely of the seat on the opposite side to the valve, said float being sufficiently small to pass through the valve-opening when directly opposite thereto, and means whereby said float when below said opening locks the valve to its seat, substantially as described.

\V. Ur. LAlYRENUE.

\Vitnesses: v Framers M. emur,

Bnssm Gomumuin. 

